At that thought, the girl softly recited a summoning spell. Unexpectedly, the book on the shelf steadily fell right into her arms. This belonged to the eldest prince. The little princess quickly wiped away the dust on it with her sleeve. She carefully flipped to the spell that could send her home. But at that very moment, the girl suddenly hesitated.
On one side was Lowina, who took care of her like a mother, and on the other side was Riven, who treasured her like a precious jewel. Both sides were family she could not bear to part with. But in the end, the little princess still chose to go home. The girl devoutly recited the spell from the book. Yet this time, the portal did not appear. Her magic had failed.
Her brother had finally realized that the little princess who had always been disliked was the younger sister who truly cared about him. And Lily, whom he had loved for ten years, had never once cared whether he lived or died. But he had been as blind as if he could not see. Again and again, with his own hands, he had hurt that heart that was already shattered. If only everything could start over. Then perhaps his heart would not hurt as much as it did now.
But now he could only place his final hope on the second prince, hoping to find some clue to his sister. So for the first time the eldest prince lowered his proud head. He humbly begged Noah to help him. That defeated look made him seem like a gambler who had lost everything. Yet in the end all efforts were futile. Even the most powerful search spell could not find the slightest trace of the little princess. Watching the magical glow gradually dissipate, the hope in the eldest prince's eyes also dimmed little by little.
Meanwhile, the little princess, anxious to return home, kept encountering one magical failure after another. She stared at her own hands in frustration. Where exactly had the problem come from? After trying again and again many times, the girl finally found the hidden reason. The summoning spell just now had already exhausted the little magic power she had in her body. Now, if she wanted to leave, she could only obediently lie back in bed and rest first.
She could not help but let out a soft sigh. She had spent a long time preparing herself mentally before she was finally willing to go back. Otherwise, she truly could not rest easy, leaving Riven here all alone. She always felt that beneath the boy's powerful exterior was hidden a heart shattered into pieces. It was just a pity that now she still had reasons why she absolutely had to go back.
The little princess decided that after returning home and letting them know she was safe, she would find a chance to come back again. Because deep in her heart, she had long since accepted by default that Riven was her brother.
And Riven knew none of this. He had already prepared himself to let go, no matter how unbearably reluctant he was to part with the little princess in the depths of his heart. He could not, like some villain, keep the girl trapped by his side for her whole life. To love someone is to fulfill her happiness. And what Riven had to do was help the little princess realize all her wishes.
As he thought about it, the boy's eyes grew so sore and bitter that they ached. But he still tried hard to keep a smile on his face. By now, that child should already have returned to her family's side, shouldn't she? He hoped she would remember his advice. Some people are not worth loving. You must first learn to love yourself before loving others.
At that thought, Riven lowered his head and looked at his shackles. It was also time for him to let go of the past and face his life head-on.
So the gentle and strong young man had once had a past too painful to look back on. That was why he had voluntarily put on shackles to seal off his own heart. As a child, Riven had also once had a happy and complete family. His father was the most renowned lord in the empire. And as the heir, he had displayed astonishing magical talent from a young age. The people all adored this powerful and well-behaved child. That was why they jokingly called him the ace of the Fulman region.
For a time, pride blinded the boy's eyes, and tragedy also quietly brewed in the shadows. At this time, Riven had long since been so overwhelmed by endless praise that it had gone to his head. He began trying all kinds of dangerous forbidden magic. Yet during one accidental mistake, the out-of-control spell brutally broke his younger brother's legs.
Even though after the incident his parents did not blame him, the seed of guilt had already taken root and sprouted in the boy's heart. Between apologizing and running away, he chose the latter, because he feared that this evil power would hurt the family he loved most once again. Riven stubbornly sealed himself off completely. He thought that as long as he stayed away, no more accidents would happen.
If the story had ended here, they should still have remained a happy family of four. However, for some unknown reason, rumors that extermination magic had appeared in the world began spreading rapidly among the people. In the end, they also reached the emperor's ears. The crazed emperor wanted to obtain this evil power. So he summoned the Fulman father and son.
Again and again, his father instructed Riven. No matter what happened, he absolutely must not admit it. But once they reached the palace hall, the development of events far exceeded his imagination. The moment they stepped onto the red carpet, they were surrounded by fully armed guards. And what shocked him even more was that his mother and younger brother were here, too. At this moment, Riven completely understood. This was a trap prepared especially for him.
The next second, the emperor stood before Riven.
"I have something to confirm. I hear that Fulman's ace can use extermination magic."
That whisper-like murmur was even more terrifying than the curse of an evil spirit.